Friday, February 22, 2008

Sugar High Friday #40

For this edition of Sugar High Friday hosted by Rachel from Vampituity, we've been asked to indulge our sweet cravings for a cause (you'll find more details of this at the end of the post) - in fact the theme is to "cook up a pie that evokes personal dreams".

There is a pie that with just its name has me dreaming of Italy and reminiscing of my time spent there. Torta della Nonna was something I first tasted in Florence and from the very first bite, it was love. Served still warm from the oven, the combination of buttery pasta frolla and lemony semolina and ricotta filling proved utterly irresistible.

Having scoured many sources to find the secret to the filling I think I've found something that comes close to those I've had - it is based on Ursula Ferrigno's Grandmothers Pie from her book La Dolce Vita.

Make the Filling:Heat the milk in a saucepan until just warm - rain in the semolina, stirring as you do to stop any lumps forming. Add the lemon zest and continue to stir until the mixture thickens and comes away from the side of the pan. Take it off the heat to cool.

Push the ricotta through a fine sieve - this just helps to lighten the mixture. Place the sieved ricotta into a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and cooled semolina mixture and using an electric mixer, beat until thoroughly mixed.

Prepare the pastry case:Divide the dough into two - 2/3rds for the base and 1/3rd to form the top.

Roll the larger piece out to line the base and sides of a loose-bottomed 20cm/8inch round sandwich pan. Make sure the pastry overhangs the lip to make joining the top easier.

Pour the prepared filling into the case, smoothing it out to level the surface. It will rise when it cooks so don't worry if it doesn't reach the top of your pie case.

Roll the smaller piece of pastry to form a circle a little larger than the tin.

Brush the lip with a little milk before placing the pastry top - press down to make sure the dough sticks and then trim to size.

Lightly brush the top with the milk and a sprinkle of caster sugar.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing it to a wire rack.

Generously dust it with icing sugar.

While it's wonderful cold, I heartily recommend eating it warm.

The combination of lemon and semolina gives the filling a lovely lemon colour to it - the ricotta makes it wonderfully creamy without being heavy - you'll certainly be lining up for seconds!

Sound delicious?Make a contribution to a non-profit helping to transform the world of food through pie- Pie Ranch.Please specify "Pie Ranch/Green Oaks Fund” in the "Designation" field of the online donation form (Pie Ranch is fiscally sponsored by the Rudolph Steiner Foundation) at: http://tinyurl.com/3bmn4c

Firenze! Semolina! Ricotta! Limone!This looks and reads like an amazing experience. Let us all dream of your torta and Italy for one brief lemony moment. Thank you for sharing your dreams with us and participating in SHF #40 in support of the Pies Project!

We made this pie tonight to take to friends' for dinner. To be honest, I wish we hadn't...because it meant we had to share it! Absolutely wonderful. We'll be making another one tomorrow all for ourselves.